


The Job Interview

by everystareverywhere



Series: Written in the Stars [1]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-08
Updated: 2014-04-08
Packaged: 2018-01-18 14:11:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1431412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/everystareverywhere/pseuds/everystareverywhere
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jonathon Noble goes for a job interview, and gets more than he could ever imagine.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Job Interview

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first part of my Written in the Stars series, featuring a female Doctor and a male companion. For me, the Doctor here is line with an Idina Menzel look-a-like. A strong jawbone, the black hair, and the no-nonsense personality. Only I would give her blue eyes. Oh, and a Northern accent.

It was if his own life was mocking him.   
  
Jonathon Noble was pretty sure that he knew exactly what he had to do to get the job. Though he has been on many different interviews for all kinds of jobs in the past few weeks–at least–he knew what he had to do to get the job at Henrik’s. Not that he was  _dying_  for a job at a department store, but he had to get a job, and soon. His father could just make ends meet, and having a living-at-home-unemployed son didn’t help matters. And though his father was a nice man and loved his son dearly, he wanted Jonathon to move onto other things. For goodness sake, Jonathon was twenty-five and had no idea what he wanted in life. And Jonathon knew that working for Henrik’s was not anywhere on his list of career goals, but right now it was better than nothing.   
  
However, being stuck in the basement of the department store wasn’t exactly what he had in mind either.   
  
The woman at the cash-register obviously had no idea what she was talking about, and clearly wanted him as far away from her as possible. Jonathon couldn’t understand why; true he would be described as a nerd, but he thought he looked rather good in his pinstripe suit, and his gravity defying hair was finally cooperating and settling down for once. And yes, his black framed glasses didn’t help matters, but it’s not like he wore them all the time. Just when he’s looking at a screen or reading something for a long period of time. Okay, yes, he was more gangly than thin, but still. The cashier should have given him better directions to the manager’s office than this. “Go down and make a left,” she said, looking at him from top to bottom. She was clearly not impressed. “It’s the third door on the right.”   
  
Jonathon followed her directions to a tee, and yet he was completely lost. And now stuck. The third door on the right was not, in fact, the manager’s office, but instead just a room where they kept the mannequins. Jonathon gave a slight shiver–mannequins always frightened him as a child. He was convinced that they would come to life on him. But, being the idiot that he was, Jonathon walked further into the room. “Hello?” he called out, but no one responded. At least, not verbally. He heard something on the other side of the huge room and walked towards it. “Anyone there?”   
  
Instead of hearing a noise in front of him, he heard something behind him. The door slammed shut. “Oh no,” Jonathon mumbled before running back towards the door. He pulled on it. It was locked. He leaned his head against the door, beyond frustrated. “No, no, no, no,” he muttered over and over again. He leaned back and looked around. There was another door about twenty feet to the right. He ran over to it and pulled. Locked. “Come on!” he yelled, frustrated. He slammed his hand against the door. “Ow!” He rubbed his hand. He slowly turned around, wondering if things could get any worse.   
  
Really, he should stop asking that question.   
  
His childhood fear came true. Standing not ten feet away from him, the mannequin wearing a horrible plaid sweater and black pants slowly moved its head. Than one hand moved up as the other one followed.   
  
“What the…?” Jonathon asked as another also started moving, as though unsure of how moving actually worked. Jonathon moved back, trying to get as far away as he possibly could from the dummy.   
  
Another one came alive. And another one. And another one. He backed up, looking around. “Is this a joke?” he started to smile. “It’s a joke, right?” None of the mannequins reacted, however, other than moving closer to him. Their plastic faces just stared at Jonathon as he literally backed himself up against a wall.   
  
“Okay,” he muttered. “Not a joke.”   
  
The one mannequin, that one that started moving first, raised his hand, as though ready to do a Juno Chop. Jonathon looked at the hand, certain that he was going to die. He was going to die in the basement of a shop and all because his last job went under and the nasty cashier gave him wrong directions. And his father! His father would have no idea. Who would find Jonathon? And how long until they do? How is his father going to react when he finds out his only son was killed? And his sister, Donna, would be heartbroken, though she would pretend otherwise. Who was going to tell them?   
  
Just as Jonathon closed his eyes, just as he mentally said good-bye to his father and sister, he felt it. Someone grabbed his hand. Jonathon’s eyes popped open and he had just enough time to register the fact that a tall woman, just an inch shorter than him, with black hair cut at her chin was looking at him.   
  
“Run.”   
  
His feet took off under him, and he was right behind the woman, her right hand clutching his, and though she was hurting him, he didn’t care. He would hold on to this woman’s hand for the rest of his life, because he was so grateful that, whoever she was, came at that exact moment. But he didn’t acknowledge that to himself until much later, because right now he was so confused and just wanted to go home and was wondering who did that with the mannequins and more importantly  _why_?   
  
They reached the elevators and she pressed the button with her free hand. Jonathon looked behind him and saw a couple of mannequins following them. The woman tugged Jonathon into the elevator with her and pressed the button for the doors to close, but that didn’t stop the mannequins. The one tries to reach inside getting its arm caught between the closing doors, and the woman grabbed onto the arm. Jonathon was not sure what she was planning on doing, but suddenly the arm came off with a loud pop and the doors close fully. Jonathon pressed up against the rear of the elevator and he just stared at the woman’s back.   
  
“You pulled his arm off,” Jonathon said, stating the obvious.   
  
“Yep.” The woman threw the arm over her shoulder and Jonathon caught it. “You’re a quick one, aren’t ya?”   
  
“Who was that then? Students?”   
  
The woman turned at the waist. It was the first time since she grabbed his hand that he saw her see clearly. She was wearing a black leather jacket, a dark purple jumper, dark blue jeans, and black boots. Her nose was angular and she had a strong jawbone. Her lips were thin and her eyes had a bit of a squint to them. They were also icy blue and seemed to staring right through Jonathon. Her lip made a slight tug upwards.   
  
“Students? Why students?” she asked with a Northern accent.   
  
Jonathon shrugged. “I don’t know. For people to be going around acting stupid like that, it must be students. College kids would be my guess.”   
  
The woman gave him a grin. “Good guess. I like that.”   
  
Jonathon looked her, completely confused by what is happening and even more on what she’s talking about. She liked that? What did that mean? What kind of answer was that? “Um. Thanks. I think.”   
  
“It’s not students.” The smile faded from her face and she faced forward.   
  
“Oh. Okay than. Well, whoever they are, we should tell the manager. You know, when I find out where his office is.”  
  
“Who’s the manager?”   
  
“A bloke called Wilson. Nicholas Wilson, I believe.”   
  
She looked back at him. “Wilson’s dead.”   
  
The doors flew open and the woman walked out. Jonathon, still clutching the useless arm, followed. “Wait. What are you talking about? That’s not funny.”   
  
She pulled his arm and pulled him off to the side. “Watch your eyes,” she said before she pulled something out of her leather jacket pocket. She pointed it at the box for the elevator and a few sparks flew. Jonathon covered his eyes before asking, “What’s going on? Who are you? Who are they? What are you doing?”   
  
The woman ran ahead of him as she said, “Do you always ask so many questions?” Before he could answer, she continued, “They are plastic. Living plastic that I have to get rid of. And that would be difficult, if I didn’t have this.” She holds up some huge complicated remote that looks massively dangerous and Jonathon had a desire to exam it as well as run from it. “Now, why don’t you run on home?” She took Jonathon’s arm and pulled him towards the exit. “Go on, go on home. Go have some beans on toast.” Once Jonathon was outside she held the door open and just looked at him dead in the eye before saying, “And if you tell anyone about this, you’ll get them killed.”   
  
The door slammed shut.   
  
Jonathon looked around, wondering what just happened. He was on his way to a meeting. During that time period, he must of passed out and dreamt of getting locked in the basement with mannequins that can come to life and some strange woman grabbed his hand and told him that it was living plastic. Because that made more sense than what actually happened.   
  
Just when he was about to slap himself in the face and tell himself it was all a dream, the door swung open. The woman stood there and simply said, “I’m the Doctor, by the way. What’s your name?”   
  
“Jonathon.”   
  
“Nice to meet you, Jonathon. Run for your life.” She held up the remote again before going back inside.   
  
Jonathon looked around. It was a perfectly normal day. It was ten o’clock in the morning, the sun was shining and people were on their way to the markets, or work or wherever they were going.   
  
And Jonathon was pretty sure he just had the strangest experience of his life. But that didn’t stop him from running away from the building. Should he warn people to stay back? Suddenly, there were a fire alarm going off and people were running out of Henrik’s. Did the Doctor do that? Jonathon wondered. Did the Doctor set off the alarm?   
  
After ten minutes, everyone looking around, confused wondering where the fire was. Some were heading back into the building when suddenly —  _BOOM_!   
  
Jonathon stared up in shock. The top of the building exploded. People were running, more out of fear than anything else, but his feet stayed glued to the street. When someone accidentally bumped into him did he finally move.   
Jonathon was hundred percent sure that the Doctor did that, but why? Oh, right, the “living plastic,” whatever that was. But Jonathon turned around and ran home, still clutching the mannequin’s arm in his hand.   
  
~*~  
  
The past 24 hours have been the oddest for Jonathon.   
  
And yet, he wouldn’t change a moment.   
  
He stood outside of the…what did the Doctor call it? Oh, yes, the TARDIS, which stands for Time and Relative Dimensions in Space. He wasn’t exactly sure what that meant, but he knew that it was outstanding cool. And though a part of him knew he had to find his father and take care of Melissa, who was currently cowering near the dumpsters, a bigger part of him wanted to run back inside and let the Doctor take him anywhere.   
  
“Fat lot of good you were!” Jonathon yelled to Melissa after he hangs up the phone. He called his father, Jack, to make sure that he was alright. His father started blabbering on about the mannequins and “It’s not safe! Stay home!” and Jonathon couldn’t listen anymore with a straight face. This was the craziest day of his life; he felt like a he was on his first smack high, and it was amazing. He couldn’t wait for more.   
  
Melissa, his lovely, yet obviously weak-stomached girlfriend, pointed weakly to the TARDIS, as though it was something out of this world. Which is was. The TARDIS and the person inside were alien. The Doctor told Jonathon this. It wasn’t exactly a secret, since she just up and told him when he entered the first time and noticed that the inside did not match the outside in terms of space. “Oh my God,” Melissa whispered. “What…what is that thing!?”   
  
Jonathon wasn’t sure if she meant the TARDIS or the Doctor, but either way he was hurt. He turned to look at the TARDIS and saw the Doctor standing there, watching him.   
  
She leaned on the doorframe. “Nestene consciousness?” She snapped her fingers. “Easy.”   
  
Jonathon stood up a little straighter. “You’d be dead if it wasn’t for me!”   
  
The Doctor nodded. “Yes. Thank you.” She looked around, as though unsure of how to proceed. “So, um. What are you gonna do now?”   
  
Jonathon shrugged and rubbed his neck. “I’m not sure. I mean, I need to find my Dad. And a job.”   
  
The Doctor nodded, considering this. “You could always come with me.” She tried to say it like it was nonchalant, but Jonathon could just see the linger of hope underneath her words. It made his heart race. “You could always stay here. Fill your life with food and work and sleep. Or you could go…” She smiled. “Anywhere.”   
  
“Is it always this dangerous?” Jonathon asked. And though he almost peed a little when he saw that Nestene thingy, a part of him was excited. He kind of wanted to go out on more adventures, see what else the world–or even the universe–had to offer. And he wanted to know what the limits were on that machine of hers. Could it really go anywhere?   
  
“Yes,” the Doctor answered Jonathon’s question.   
  
Melissa wrapped her arms around Jonathon’s thin waist and this brought him back to reality. He couldn’t just up and go. He was more responsible than that. He had to think things through, figure out what his next step should be. It would be finding his dad, for one thing, than finding a job. Where though? Everywhere Jonathon looked, he knew he would never be happy. Maybe,  _maybe_ , he would be content, but that would be pushing it.   
  
So, with a heavy heart, Jonathon said, “Thanks, but…” He couldn’t say the word, so he just shook his head. “I need to find my Dad. And someone gotta take care of her.” He landed a hand on Melissa’s shoulder. She squeezed tighter.   
  
The Doctor looked disappointed, Jonathon could tell from where he was standing. She obviously thought he would come, and now that he said no, she had to accept that. “Okay.” She got off the frame of the door and took a step inside. “Well, see ya.” She closed the door and for the first time, Jonathon saw the TARDIS disappear. Literally, it faded from view with a loud noise. The noise sounded like an old engine trying to get started. It sounded not only old, but near broken. Perhaps the Doctor should have someone look at that.   
  
With the light on top disappearing, Jonathon tried to get Melissa up off the ground. She was staring in shock at the spot where the TARDIS had been, trying to figure out what just happened to it. “Come on,” he whispered, trying not to let his emotions show. He wanted to go with the Doctor. He desperately wanted to go, but he was more responsible than to just go and leave Melissa and his father waiting. “Come on,” he urged as Melissa took a few steps, still trying to figure out how her legs worked.   
  
They took twelve steps (Jonathon was counting) when they heard that noise again. Only, instead of diming, it was growing louder. Jonathon and Melissa quickly turned around and saw the TARDIS solidifying. Jonathon tried not to smile, but he couldn’t help it.   
  
With a loud bang the TARDIS was back. Within seconds, the door opened and the Doctor leaned out. “Did I mention it also travels in time?”   
  
She walked further into the TARDIS, leaving Jonathon with that thought.   
Jonathon turned to Melissa and for the first time in his life, he decided to be selfish and do what he wanted to do. And he wanted to travel.   
  
“Thanks,” he said to Melissa.   
  
“For what?!” Melissa asked, confused.   
  
Jonathon looked at the Doctor before looking back at Melissa. Instead of answering, he just kissed her on the cheek and ran towards the TARDIS doors.


End file.
